Ezra 6
1 Eka Ruoth Darius nochiwo chik, kendo neginono e kuonde kano gik machon e kar keno man Babulon.
[Later] Darius [became the ruler of the Persian Empire. When the enemies of the Israelis forced them to stop rebuilding the temple, the Persian officials sent a message to King Darius. They asked him to] search the records in the (archives/government records), in the building where the king stored the important documents, [to find out whether King Cyrus had authorized that the temple should be rebuilt].
2 Karatas moban noyudi e kama oger motegno mar gengʼo wasigu mar Ekbatana e gwengʼ Media, kendo ma e gima nondik kuome: Chenro mar gima biro:
[The king commanded someone to search there, but those documents were not there in Babylon]. They found a scroll at the fort in Ecbatana, in Media province, [that contained the information that they wanted to know]. This is what was written on that scroll:
3 E higa mokwongo mar loch mar Ruoth Sairas, ruoth nochiwo chik kuom hekalu mar Nyasaye man Jerusalem kama. We hekalu ger kendo kaka kar chiwo misango, kendo we mise mare keti. Nyaka obedi fut piero aboro gaboro gi nus e bor mare kendo fut piero aboro gaboro e lach mare,
“During the first year that Cyrus [ruled the empire], he sent out a decree concerning the temple of God which is at Jerusalem. In the decree it was stated that a new temple must be built at the same place that [the Israeli people previously] had offered sacrifices, where the [original] foundation [of the first temple] was. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.
4 kod migawo adek mag kite mochwe kadhi malo gi migawo achiel mag bepe mochungi. Chudo margi mondo chul gi keno moa ka ruoth.
The building must be made from large stones. After putting down three layers of stones, a layer of timber must be put on top of them. This work will be paid for by money from my treasury.
5 Bende, gigo mag dhahabu gi fedha mag od Nyasaye, mane Nebukadneza okawo koa e hekalu mar Jerusalem mi okelo Babulon, nyaka duog kargi e hekalu man Jerusalem; nyaka duog-gi e kar keno e od Nyasaye.
Also, the gold and silver utensils that King Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of God in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon must be taken back to Jerusalem. They must be put in God’s temple just as they were in the previous temple.”
6 Koro in, Tatenai, jatelo mar Yufrate, kod Shetha-Bozenai kaachiel gi un, jotelo wetegi mar gwengʼno, suduru mabor gi kanyo.
After reading this, King Darius sent this message [to the leaders of the Israeli people’s enemies in Jerusalem]: “This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and for [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area!
7 Kik uketh tich hekaluni mar Nyasaye. We jatend jo-Yahudi kod jodong jo-Yahudi oger od Nyasaye e kare.
Do not (interfere with/hinder) the work of building the temple of God! The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews [while they are doing this work].
8 Kuom mano, achiwo chik mar gima onego itimne jodong jo-Yahudi e gedo mar odni mar Nyasaye: Gigo ma jogi otiyogo nyaka chul duto koa e keno mar ka ruoth, moa e pesa mochoki kuom Yufrate, mondo omi tich kik chungʼ.
“Furthermore, I declare that you must help these leaders of the Jews as they rebuild this temple of God [by giving them funds for the building work].
9 Gimoro amora midwaro kaka nyirwedhi, imbe, nyiimbe mar misango miwangʼo pep ne Nyasach polo, kod ngano, chumbi, divai gi mo, kaka okwa gi jodolo man Jerusalem nyaka migi pile ma ok olewo,
“The Jewish priests in Jerusalem need young bulls and rams and lambs to sacrifice as they make burned offerings to the God of heaven. You must give them the animals that they need. Also, you must be certain to give them the wheat, salt, wine, and [olive] oil that they need each day [for those sacrifices].
10 mondo omi gichiw misengini ma moro Nyasach polo kendo olam ne ruoth gi yawuote obed gi ngima maber.
If you do that, the Jewish priests will be able to offer sacrifices that please the God who is in heaven, and they will pray that God will bless me and my sons.
11 Ewi mano, achiwo chik ni ka ngʼato oketho chikni, to nogol yiend tado mar ode mi gur piny kendo tweye e yien-no.
“If anyone disobeys this decree, [my soldiers] will pull a beam from his house. Then [after they sharpen one end of the beam, ] they will lift that man up and impale him on that beam. Then they will [completely destroy that man’s house until only] a pile of rubble is left.
12 Mad Nyasaye, mosemiyo Nyinge olandore ka, lok ruoth moro amora kata joma tingʼo bedegi malo mondo olok chikni kata oketh hekaluni man Jerusalem. An, Darius asegolo chik, kendo chikni nyaka chopi ma ok orem.
God has chosen [that city of] Jerusalem as the place where people will honor him [MTY]. What I desire is that he will get rid of any king or any nation that tries to change this decree or tries to destroy that temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree. It must be obeyed quickly and thoroughly.”
13 To kuom chik mane Ruoth Darius ooro, Tatenai, jatend Yufrate, kod Shetha-Bozenai gi joma negitiyogo kanyakla notimo kamano kuom tangʼ mathoth.
Tattenai, the governor of the province, and [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues [read the message and] immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
14 Omiyo jodong jo-Yahudi nodhi nyime gi gedo kendo odhi maber e bwo yalo mar Hagai janabi gi Zekaria, nyakwar Ido. Negitieko gero hekalu kaluwore gi chik mar Nyasach Israel kod chike Sairas, Darius gi Artaksases, ruodhi Pasia.
So the Jewish leaders continued their work [of rebuilding the temple]. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed.
15 Hekalu notieki gero e odiechiengʼ mar adek mar dwe mar Adar, e higa mar auchiel mar loch Ruoth Darius.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Eka jo-Israel, ma gin jodolo, jo-Lawi kod joma moko mane oa e twech notimo nyasi mar gwedho od Nyasaye gi ilo.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Kane gigwedho od Nyasaye negichiwo rwedhi mia achiel, imbe mia ariyo, nyithi rombe machwo mia angʼwen to kaka misango mar golo richo ne Israel, negichiwo diek apar gariyo machwo, moro ka moro ni dhout Israel.
During [the ceremony to] dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that [God would forgive] the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.
18 Kendo negiketo jodolo kuondegi kod jo-Lawi e migepe mag-gi ne tich Nyasaye e Jerusalem, kaluwore gi gima ondikie Kitap Musa.
Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would [take turns to] serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written [many years previously] in the laws [that he wrote].
19 E odiechiengʼ mar apar gangʼwen mar dwe mokwongo, joma notwe notimo nyasi mar Pasaka.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Jodolo gi jo-Lawi nosepwodhore giwegi kendo giduto negiikore mapoth ne nyasi. Jo-Lawi noyangʼo nyarombo mar Pasaka ne joma noa e twech duto, ne owetegi ma jodolo kod gin giwegi.
[To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices], the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.
21 Omiyo jo-Israel mane oa e twech nochamo Pasakano, kanyakla gi jogo duto mano ngʼanyone timbe mochido mag ogendini mamoko modak machiegni kodgi mondo omi gidwar Jehova Nyasaye, ma Nyasach Israel.
Those who had returned from Babylon and the other people in that land who had turned away from their immoral practices in order to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people, ate the Passover meal.
22 Kuom ndalo abiriyo, negitimo Nyasi mar Makati ma ok oketie thowi gi ilo, nikech Jehova Nyasaye nosepongʼogi gi ilo kuom loko pach ruodh Asuria, mondo omi nokonygi e tich manie od Nyasaye, ma Nyasach Israel.
They celebrated the Unleavened Bread Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israeli people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the one whom they [worshiped].
